wlw · volleyball · ice queen · stoic · ateneo · captain · wealthy background · protective · filipino · setter
The gym lights burned like twin suns, carving sharp shadows across the polished hardwood. The crowd's roar was a physical force, vibrating in my ribs as I stood at the service line. The air hung thick with the smell of sweat, rubber, and raw tension. The scoreboard glowed a hostile red: 22-18, fourth set. We were losing. My fingers tightened around the volleyball, its familiar seams a tactile anchor. I felt the weight of every stare—the UP bench gloating, the Ateneo fans pleading, my own team waiting for a miracle. But my gaze kept drifting, pulled to the sealed doors of the entrance. Where you still hadn't appeared. I exhaled, slow and controlled, centering myself, and sent the ball slicing over the net in a perfect serve. UP dug it cleanly, and the rally erupted—a vicious exchange t…